Christmas Surprise
by addie.obsessed
Summary: Mark and Addison are a perfectly happy couple, deeply in love with each other, but painful emotions are revealed when Addison is forced to confront her past at Christmas, and an uncertain future when a New Year's eve celebration brings a prospect to the couple that they never thought they could have.
1. Chapter 1

Addison giggled contently as she was twirled through the air, a gentle breeze blowing her luscious red locks out behind her like a burning fire, held tight in the arms of the love of her life. On solid ground again and clutching his hand, she skated with him, basking in the glow of fairy lights dotted elegantly around the ice rink. Christmas was her favourite holiday - she loved spending precious time with her loved ones, rather than the families of the newborns whose lives she saved every day. As pleasant as they were, they couldn't make her feel the way that Mark did; gloriously happy to the point that she felt like she was flying whenever she looked in his eyes. The music faded and lights died down as their time on the rink came to a close, and Addison turned to Mark pouting. 'Can't we just have one more go? Please?' she begged. He chuckled, thinking how cute she looked when she pulled that face - it was a face he would be happy to see every day for the rest of his life. 'Sure Red, we've got the whole holiday together' he said, feeling elated as a grin spread across Addison's face and she jumped into his arms squealing with delight.

Walking peacefully through the New York streets, Addison rested her head on Mark's shoulder, and nestled her pink cheek into his warm woolly scarf. He wrapped a strong arm around her and squeezed her tight. 'Aren't I lucky to be with you' she whispered, thinking about how differently things might have turned out if she had accepted Derek's proposal back in med school. She shuddered suddenly, unsure why - was it the memory of Derek or the biting cold? 'You know, we could do some last minute Christmas shopping if you're up to it Addie?' Mark suggested, turning to look at Addison as they approached Times Square. 'Really? But it's Christmas Eve!' she said, confused about what more he could possibly want to buy. They had already purchased all of the mandatory family gifts, as reluctant as they may have been - this year it was an aged bottle of wine and a delicate glass dish for Bizzy and the Captain. 'I have a special little something that I want to get you - I haven't found the right moment to buy it before now, and we both know that there's no way I can do it tomorrow. How about you go and grab us something from Starbucks while I get it, and then we can meet back here?' Mark suggested, unwinding his arm from her neck and turning to face her. She was pouting again, and glaring at him in that way that was meant to be bitchy, but he was seduced by. He gazed down at her, willing her to agree with his eyes. 'Okay fine, but don't spend ages otherwise your drink will get cold' she huffed, strutting down the street towards the familiar green glow that signalled a Starbucks was nearby. Mark chuckled, before striding confidently into Macy's, eyes lighting up as he saw that the gift he had been planning to get was right there, waiting for him.

Addison sighed, reluctantly waiting in the mile-long queue to order her favourite holiday drink. That aroma of freshly ground coffee wafted through the air, but this was not enough to lift her from her mood. She tapped her perfectly manicured nails against her purse impatiently, eyes wandering listlessly around the cafe. They landed on a delicious looking slab of triple chocolate cake, and she grinned mischievously as she planned how she would savour this once a year treat. She had been on a rigorous diet since January, which was totally unnecessary as she was gifted with the metabolism of a marathon runner, but it made her feel more in control of her life. Still, a girl has to do what a girl has to do, and in that moment Addison's impulse was to buy that cake. She felt herself drift into a happy daydream about Christmas in New York, replaying the day like a movie in her head. It truly had been the perfect day, probably because she had spent the entirety of it with the love of her life. 'Addison!' She snapped out of her daydream and came to attention, whipping her head around to where the voice had come from. Eyes open wide, she stopped dead. No. It couldn't be.


	2. Chapter 2

'Derek? What are you doing here?', Addison asked, frozen in a state of shock. He was supposed to be in England - at least that's where he was rumoured to have fled to after she turned down his proposal. He was supposed to be 3000 miles away, across an entire Ocean, not here in this tiny Starbucks outlet where there were no decent places to hide. She tightened her grip on her purse and set her jaw as she became aware of her cheeks flushing, embarrassed by how unprepared she was to see him again. Painful memories flooded back to her like a tidal wave of regret; Derek sobbing in the rain as she uttered the simple word 'no', Derek begging her to call him her husband. She gulped hard, the beginnings of tears forming in her glassy eyes, not knowing what to expect. 'To be perfectly honest it's none of your business Addison' he started in a scathing tone, 'but I will be polite and start over, given that our last encounter was one that I would rather forget.' Derek enjoyed watching Addison squirm at the sight of him, clearly mortified. At least this would ease the tender burn of being rejected. 'It's true that I lived in England for a while, but there's only so long that a person can spend in a house surrounded by fields and sheep without going crazy, so I jumped ship to Seattle. The reason why I'm here now in the city is because I decided to take a well-deserved holiday, and where is more romantic than the Big Apple? he laughed, eyes sparkling as he flashed her his infamous pearly teeth in a wide smile. Romantic? Addison was confused as to why he wanted to be surrounded by romance when he was travelling alone. Surely that would just be depressing?

Her question was answered when a thin, beautiful blonde eagerly sidled up beside Derek and wrapped her slender arms firmly around his waist. She was pretty, Addison would give her that, but she was also practically twelve years old. A baby. Derek was dating a baby. Addison couldn't help but feel a twinge of jealousy burning in her stomach which she hated herself for - Derek was her past, not her present. But this girl was prettier and younger, and clearly much more appealing to the arrogant Derek Shepherd, angling for a perfect 10. 'This is Meredith. We came to the city together' he explained, gently tugging the girl even closer towards him as they smiled coyly to each other, as though they shared an outrageous secret. Addison felt out of place watching him happy with another woman and she wanted nothing more than to escape this unfortunate encounter. But Derek wasn't going to let her get away that easily - he wasn't done torturing her yet. 'So are you here alone?' he mocked, expecting her to clam up and stutter some pathetic reason about why she hadn't mustered up the courage to go on a date yet. She had always been a shy woman with fragile emotions underneath, once you got past the confident exterior. Most people were entirely unaware of this, but Derek was one of the few who knew every painful secret about Addison Forbes Montgomery.

Determined to win, Addison decided she wasn't going to give him the pleasure of breaking her down. Meredith was still hanging from his arm like a clingy child, the bitter aroma of coffee was still wafting through the air, snowflakes were still falling daintily outside - the world hadn't stopped moving at Derek Shepherd's presence. Addison could do this. She could tell him. Their love was in the past - she had no shame in her future; the present. Mark. Kind, warm, loving Mark. She could do this - right? Just as Addison had managed to muster up the courage to break the news of the past 5 years to Derek, a shadow hovered in the doorway. The room suddenly grew quiet, all individual noises blurring into nothing, all senses going numb as Addison's throat ran dry. She desperately wished that the ground could swallow her whole.

The figure rubbed the stubble on his chin, and took a wide stance. 'Oh. Well this is awkward.'


	3. Chapter 3

A look of fury crossed over Derek Shepherd's chiselled features as he suddenly realised what his ex-girlfriend had been up to. He opened his mouth angrily to burst into a flurry of expletives but then slowly closed it again, and he stormed out of the room with Meredith quick on his heels. Her eyes were squinting in confusion, but the loyalty to her boyfriend prevented her from asking any uncomfortable questions. Addison could feel hot tears welling up in her glassy eyes and she curled her head in towards her chest in recoil. Mark went to place a comforting hand on her shoulder, but this only made the torrent of tears fall faster. Her beautiful snowy white skin was now streaked with haphazard wet lines, marking her face like a map. 'Addison' Mark soothed, voice bursting with warmth. She shook her head wildly and stumbled into the bathroom, trying desperately to escape the nightmare that had just unfolded in front of her. Breathing heavily, Addison stared into her reflection in the grubby mirror, disappointed with what she saw. Her once impeccable facade of control had been shattered, and she was left in a puddle of despair. She grabbed a wedge of tissue from the dispenser, and angrily jabbed at the black streaks of eye makeup that had relocated themselves to her cheeks. How dare Derek Shepherd reduce her to this blubbering mess! She was Addison Adrienne Forbes Montgomery, a legend in the medical industry. People from all across the globe came to hear her speak in conferences; came to witness the cutting edge surgeon herself at work. Defiant, she removed all remnants of the past 10 minutes and fixed her makeup. Bold red lipstick instantly made her feel like her usual sassy self. Strutting confidently out of the bathroom, she linked arms with Mark, grabbed a cinnamon latte and led him out of the door, back to the warm embrace of their cosy Manhattan apartment.

'Addison. We have to talk about it.' Mark whispered into her ear. They were lying on their plush kingsize bed together, her body curved to fit alongside his. She had been compensating with false smiles all evening, trying to pretend that nothing had ever happened. But they could both sense the tension that lingered in the air and Mark wanted rid of it. He poked her back teasingly with his finger, eliciting a quick giggle from Addison before she reverted back to her sombre state. 'Come on Addie. It's Christmas Eve. Don't let Derek and his pathetic little shrew of a girlfriend ruin our holiday.' Mark pleaded with her, stroking her soft red locks. He knew that having her hair stroked always eased her moods, and sure enough a tentative smile spread slowly across her face, and she turned around to look at him. 'I just...' she started. She didn't even know what she felt. She just knew that she never wanted to think about or see Derek Shepherd ever again. 'I guess seeing him with her just brought back a lot of painful memories. I used to be her.' Addison confided in him, with a short shrug of her shoulder. Mark nodded his head and gently pulled on her waist so that she was lying facing him. He gave her a soft kiss on the cheek, and returned to stroking her hair. 'But you're with me now. That was your past. I am your future - we're going to have the best time together, just you wait and see' he whispered, as a devious smirk appeared on his face. 'Want me to show you right now?' Addison laughed - it was typical of Mark to bring everything back to sex, but for once she didn't mind. 'Maybe' she teased, as she rolled on top of him, eyes ablaze with passion. 'Merry Christmas Red' Mark rasped, kissing her glossy lips with a sense of urgency. 'Merry Christmas baby' Addison murmured contently against his stubbly chin, as her thoughts swirled around in her head and her heart fluttered.


	4. Chapter 4

**Hi! Sorry that I haven't updated this fic for a while, but I had a sudden wave of Maddison feels this week and wanted to write the next chapter! Their Christmas together will be continued in the next chapter, I just thought that it was a good place to end this chapter but don't worry, there will be more Christmas. Anyway, that's enough of me rambling, I hope you enjoy this and any reviews would be greatly appreciated!**

Addison awoke to the sound of rustling coming from the bedroom corner. Groggily, she rose from her slumber, sitting up while her head cleared and eyes adjusted to the light.

'Mark?' She questioned, as the blurry source of the noise came into focus. Her face lit up and she giggled, surprised. Mark was wearing a Santa outfit, and not just a token hat and beard - he had gone all out: polished black boots, a red velvet suit with fur trim, a black belt with a shiny gold buckle, a curly white beard and moustache combo and the softest red hat Addison had ever seen. The outfit was completed by a sack slung over his shoulder, which appeared to be bursting to the brim with gifts.

'Morning Addie! Merry Christmas!' Mark exclaimed, the happiest Addison had ever seen him.

'Well this is all very surprising - I wasn't quite expecting you to dress up!' She said, getting out of bed to give him a kiss on the cheek. He smiled coyly, knowing something she didn't.

'What? Tell me what you're smiling about!' she laughed, wrapping her arms around his neck and gazing up at him.

'You're gonna have to do a little better than that if you want me to tell.' he smirked, teasing her.

'Pretty please with extra cherries and whipped cream on top?'

'Reminds me of something we did last night' Mark winked, enjoying the flash of defiance that crossed her face.

'Shut up and tell me what the secret is!' she shouted, pouting and crossing her arms.

'Close your eyes and hold out your hands.'

'Mark!' Addison barked, annoyed with herself because she knew this was exactly the response he wanted.

'Okay okay! Jeeze, can't we have a little fun on Christmas Day?' he sighed, giving in to the demands of his stubborn girlfriend. From the sack slung over his shoulder, Mark pulled out what appeared to be another costume.

'What is this?' Addison asked, gasping as she saw what was written on the label that was still attached. 'Sexy reindeer? Mark Everett Sloan!' she scolded in a mocking tone, not at all surprised that this was the costume he had chosen for her.

'Try it on!' Mark eagerly suggested, eyes lighting up as he imagined how beautiful she would look.

'Fine. I guess it is Christmas - I'll make this my gift to you.' Addison compromised, kissing him again. She discarded her pyjamas on the bedroom floor and pulled on her new outfit, happy to see that it did indeed look good on her. Lycra was definitely her fabric.

'Addison Adrianne Forbes Montgomery, how did I get so lucky?' Mark asked, coming closer to admire his reindeer lycra clad girlfriend.

'I guess we'll always wonder' she joked. 'But let's remember that I bagged the hottest guy from med school - we make quite the power couple.'

'We do indeed' he agreed, smiling wholeheartedly. 'Now come on Addie, I want you to admire my handiwork downstairs.' Mark told her, taking hold of her hand. He led her towards the doorway, grinning at her.

'Downstairs?' He really was full of surprises this holiday. Rounding the corner into the living room, Addison couldn't help but gasp, as her eyes took in the sight in front of her. On their fireplace two elaborately decorated stockings hung, each embroidered with their names in gold thread. Fairy lights were strung around the entire room, set to a low glow, giving a warm ambiance. A bushy six foot tree stood in the corner, bursting with colourful ornaments and tinsel, all thoughtfully placed to give the most attractive look. An array of presents rested below the lowest branches, wrapped in every colour and pattern of paper under the sun. Delicate flakes of snow fell outside the window, creating a blizzard of white, swirling and twirling as they fell softly to the ground.

'What do you think?' Mark asked, his voice hopeful and bursting with pride. There was only one way to answer. Addison turned around to kiss him, with more love than she had ever felt before. She looked up at him, eyes glowing with a happiness that she never knew was inside her.

'I just can't believe you did all this! It's truly.. Well it's the nicest thing anyone has ever done for me.' Addison thanked him, squeezing his hand tight as she snuck another look around the room.

'Anything for the woman I love.' Mark whispered, resting his head on her shoulder and wrapping his arms around her waist. They stood there for a moment, content, feeling pure joy to be together and to have found each other.


End file.
